Table Tennis Tips
Vocabulary & Pointers
Ready Stance
In order to be well balanced for the game, you need to
be standing appropriately to show you are ready to go. You
should stand with your knees slightly bended and to bend
more the taller you are. You should nearly always be on
the front part of your foot which means you should keep
your heels elevated as much as possible so that it is easier
to bounce around. If you are right handed, keep your right
foot slight behind your left foot and vice versa for left
handed people. This allows you to move your body weight
around easily and keep it evenly distributed between both
legs and show that you are constantly ready. This will prepare
you to be in a nice position for either a forehand or backhand
move.
Freehand
Your freehand is the hand that will not be holding the
racket during the game. It should be used to balance you
throughout the game. It will help you the most when you
hold it parallel to your other arm.
Optimal Shots
To hit the ball precisely you want all the time, you should
time it so that you will hit it at the peak of each bounce.
Timing is very important with each shot, so try not to be
tricked when difficult shots come your way and be ready
to recalculate the perfect time.
Playing Position
When playing, you should stay square to the line of play
and not stand at the absolute centre of the table. This
means that you should position your shoulders and chest
so that they are facing the area that you want to hit the
ball to. If you do this correctly, it will allow you to
move quickly between shots and be ready for the next one.
When you are standing this way, know that if you are a
right handed person, you will be off centred and be more
on the left side of the table and vice versa for left handed
people. The elbow of the arm holding the paddle should be
held at the centre of the table and be centred so that it
has to move an equal amount of space to hit the ball with
either the forehand or the backhand. You should also stand
so that you are at the relatively best area for your best
type of play. If you are right handed and good at attacking,
you should stand to the left as far as possible. Where your
opponent chooses to stand is also important because you
must adjust so that it will be best for you. For example,
if they stand off to the left, you should move a bit to
the right to give better cover to your right.
Footwork
There are many stances for playing but knowing a few basics
should help you get where you want to go. Always remember
to keep on your toes so that you are ready to move into
a new position and to move only after the other player has
hit the ball so that they do not see where you are going
and decide to aim for the other side.
To move quickly from side to side, learn to do the following
few steps quickly so that you won’t be tripping over
your own feet when you move. If you are going to move towards
the left, move a few inches to the left with your left foot,
then shift your weight onto your left foot and then bring
your right foot to the left the necessary inches. Moving
to the right requires doing the same thing, just switch
all the lefts to rights and vice versa. If you are moving
so that you can deliver a better front hand, move your right
leg, if you are right handed, so that it is slightly behind
the left foot.
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